Method of regenerating contact mass.



W. M. KELSEY.

METHOD OF RBGRNBRATING CONTACT MASS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9, 1911.

agg v Patented Dec. 17, 1912:

WITNESSES; INVENTOR iTTORNEYS burrito STATES rad um caries.

'WESTO N M. KELSEY, 0F :unBUE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO NEW JERSEY ZINC COMPANY,

OF NEW YO a, n. 2., A conrona'rrou or NEW JERSEY.

QMETHOD OF REGENERATING CONTACT MASS.

' Application filed August 9,

T 0 all whom it may concern 7 Be it known that I, WESTON M. KELsEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Depue, Bureau county, Illinois, have in avented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Regenerating Contact Mass; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In catalytic or contact processes'for the manufacture of sulfuric anhydrid, the

.platanized contact mass, as is well known,-

I in the production of sulfuric anhydrid).

The heat of the air or of the'burner gas, as the case may be, is utilized to advantage to volatilize the mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid employed. A temperature of 200 C. is feasible for the purpose, but for the attainment of the best results, Itind it desirable to preheat either the air current or the burner gas current to from 450 C. to 500 C., and, in someinstances, even a higher temperature of preheating may be employed.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated a fragmentary view of a familiar form of a converter employed for containing the contact mass employed in the manu 'facture of sulfuric anhydrid from a mixture containing burner gases.

In the drawing, A indicates the converter,

- and B the inlet pipe or conduit at the base Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17,1912, 1911. Serial No. 643,172.

practice, when using for the inlet pipe I) of the siphon-trap a pipe of 9, inch gage, I have used a 1} inch pipe for the tube a and have made the exit opening from said tube a, 2; of an inch in diameter.

--'Ihe mixture made up, say, of 20 quarts of water, 2 quarts of HNO comn1., and 4 quarts of HCl comm., is caused to fill the 'trap, whereupon the blower for furnishing the preheated air or burner gas to the 12 inch pipe B is started. The preheating temperature of the air or burner gas being preferably maintained at from 425 to 550 0., the whole quantity of the mixture is added as fast as the small hole in the outlet of the tube will permit it to How out.

As will be noted, the tube a is removable and it is only intended to be inserted at the time that the regeneration 'of the mass is being performed. During that time, the mixture of acid and water being added as rapidly as possible keeps the tube relatively cool.

hen preheated air is employed for blowing the volatilized mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid through the contact mass, the blowing of the air through the mass is continued for a period of about 30 minutes after the flow of acid from the tube a has ceased; and, of course, it will be understood that in any event, it will be desirable to cut out the absorbing system from the plant during the regenerating operation so that the regenerating agents shall not enter that system. After the regeneration of the mass has been accomplished, the usual connections may be replaced, and the plant thus restored to its original condition.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. The method of regenerating contact mass, which consists in blowing through the mass, a volatilized mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid; substantially as described.

2. The method of regenerating contact mass, which consists in blowing through the mass, a volatilizedv mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, by means of a preheated aeriform fluid; substantially as described.

3. The method of regenerating contact.

mass, which consists in blowing through the 1 mass, a volatilized mixture of nitric acid heated aeriform' fluid at such temperature fluidpreheated to a temperature above 400 that there Wil l be no condensation thereof (1; substantially as described. 10

in the con act'rhass; substantially 18 de- In testimony whereof I atfix my signascribed. ture, in presence of two Witnesses.

4. Theinaethod of regenerating contact W ESTON M. KELSEY. mass, which consists in blowing through the W'itnesses: mass 21 volatilized'mixture of nitric acid and A. D. TERRELL:

hydrochloric acid, by means of an aeriform W; I. CHASE. 

